Sojaveña Wilds Divine Thunderhead

[Chibi Pika]

Turn 4
Player Phase​

Five Wayfarers, one Saint, all lit with blazing Radiance as they made their final stand. Alexander had fled, but the dark mockery of Stormbringer remained. But, stripped of all its defenses, the ascended wraith would burn.

Leaf is boosting Astrid!
Steven called out to Koa!
Astrid's AGILE RADIANT Frost Breaths dealt a CRITICAL 59+85 damage to Stormbringer!
Astrid's RADIANT Draining Kiss dealt a CRITICAL 72 damage to Stormbringer!
Astrid's RADIANT Vacuum Waves dealt 48+50 damage to Stormbringer!
Koa's RADIANT Mach Punch dealt 66 damage to Stormbringer!
Koa's STRONG RADIANT Thunder Punch dealt a CRITICAL 190 damage to Stormbringer! KO!!

A flurry of strikes, too fast to count, followed by one final punch that cleaved a hole right through the demon's chest, glowing cracks spilling across its semi-solid body. It screeched in agony at the corrosive light, struggling to call forth more lightning to strike down its attackers... but the last of its power had failed. The false Stormbringer crashed to the dungeon floor, dissolving into a writhing mass of shadow wraiths that melted into black tar, eventually evaporating into mist.

And at their center, a crown forged from lightning was left.

The Shadow Sky cleared...

Zapdos stared at the relic, still breathing hard, taking a moment to process their victory. It was only a short moment before the thunderbird leaped into the air with a loud crow of victory. They'd done it, and fighting alongside the offworlders had been more exhilarating than anything he'd felt in a hundred years.

Of course, the battle wasn't truly over, not yet. A rift still remained where Alexander had escaped—Powehi's doing?—through which everyone could enter the Voidlands and finally, truly end things.

But for now, at least, there was a brief moment of respite before the next stage of their battle.

 

[Phoenixsong]

Leaf bounced into the air almost before she'd even realized she was doing it. Done. They'd won. The fake zapdos scattered into mist. The rain let up, no more acid despair eating away at them, just open air you could soar through like nothing. No more storm— well. There was, but just a normal one. Normal as a legendary storm you could stand on that was also a magic dungeon could ever be. Not the point.

"Yes!" she shouted as she came back in for a landing, skidding slightly on the gray fog underneath. She glanced around at the others, Andre and Astrid and Steven and Koa and Zapdos, wild-eyed and beaming and mostly not even from the radiance. "That was incredible. We were incredible."

There was still a rift slashed through the clouds beneath them. Waiting. Everyone else was there, or was gonna be there soon. What had happened with Cipher, with the other teams? They had to get moving.

"So. Long as that's safe—" Leaf gestured to the crown, not that she had any clue where the heck to put it, but then snapped back to the saint "—you ready for more?"

 

[canisaries]

They'd won! Well, against the false Stormbringer, anyway. Alexander still remained somewhere on the other side of that rift. Nevertheless, some congratulations were in order. For the others. He'd barely done anything.

"Great job, everyone. Let's keep it up," he said. Gods, I sound like a white collar boss. I don't know. Hopefully they'll appreciate the thought.

He looked briefly over to Zapdos. He hoped he could catch up with whatever those visions were about later. Without a fight, preferably.

 

[Tetra]

Koa howled a victory cry in time with Zapdos own, his pelt alive with sparks and his spirit light. "That was incredible," he said breathessly, gazing at the now shadowless relic with elation.

He didn't even care that Alex was still waiting for them on the other side of that rift. They'd proved that even just the small group of them could best the false saint puppet. If they could win here, they could beat Alex.

"It's is better this way, isn't it?" he said to Zapdos with a grin. Maybe the stubborn Saint would change his mind now...

Still with a bounce in his step, he turned briefly to Steven, giving him a meaningful stare. "Thanks for watching our backs... and mine." No wonder Steven had become champion.

Finally, his gaze returned to the relic and he trotted closer to it, eyeing it with fascination. Having seen Celebi's relic did nothing to dampen his fascination with this one. Around him, the darkness was already fading without Alexander's influence. Hopefully the dungeon would recover quickly.

A shimmer of lingering radiance shone in his eyes as he turned back to Zapdos. "So, you ready to kick in that dragons face and show him what real power looks like?"

 

[Goat]

"—you ready for more?"

"Hell fucking yeah!" Astrid responded with similar energy. Victory and adrenaline shooed off the brittle frustration of ten seconds ago like it were ancient history. With the next ten seconds, she was ever-determined to ride to a total, complete victory for Forlas. Not for her, not for the phantoms of her past, but for them. And maybe in a more sober times, she'd stop to really think hard about that--a new impulse, a strange pull, and what that meant. But these were no such times.

The vacuum where she stood milliseconds prior filled violently with oxygen as she shot through the portal like a bullet.

 

[Panoramic_Vacuum]

Steven allowed himself to bask in the elation of his companions, a broad smile written across his face. He acknowledged each in turn with a respectful nod. Leaf was right, they'd all been brilliant. Together.

"We were," he said in agreement with her, shifting his Radiance-tinged gaze towards Zapdos as he spoke. Twice now the Saint had challenged them, and twice they'd risen to the occasion. Steven's smile grew more smug. Go on, challenge us again. He had a feeling this time they might have gotten through to the stubborn bird. Maybe.

Either way, it was all was worth it to have the Saint as their ally, now. It was also worth it to free another Saint's Relic from the shadows. As the last of the shadows departed, it was like a physical weight had been lifted from the room. Mildly, Steven wondered how high above the ground they were now, with the storm clouds corruption-free.

The only remaining scar left behind was the rift which presumably led to where Alexander himself had retreated. It stood in stark contrast to the gleaming light of the Stormbringer's crown. Steven approached it with curiosity, hovering next to Koa while subconsciously placing himself between the rift and the Relic... just in case.

He smiled warmly back at the young trainer. "My pleasure," he said. Then in a slightly more secretive tone, "By the way, feel free to hang onto that lodestone. You never know when it might come in handy."

With the brief respite, the bright hum of Steven's Radiance simmered back to a low buzz, and he slid a curious, but concerned look back towards the Relic. It had stood safe all this time without them, and he wanted nothing more than to crush Alexander once and for all, but if they'd gone through all this just for his shadowy influence to slither back through that rift...

Steven hesitated, even as some of the others had already dashed into the portal.

 

[Chibi Pika]

"So. Long as that's safe—" Leaf gestured to the crown, not that she had any clue where the heck to put it, but then snapped back to the saint "—you ready for more?"

A shimmer of lingering radiance shone in his eyes as he turned back to Zapdos. "So, you ready to kick in that dragons face and show him what real power looks like?"

Zapdos was bouncing lightly from one foot to the other as he eyed the rift, feathers still blazing with Radiance, and it looked like it was taking his every effort not to leap through immediately. He'd never felt more alive, and every inch of his being was desperate to knock that upstart offworlder demon from his perch.

However...

With the brief respite, the bright hum of Steven's Radiance simmered back to a low buzz, and he slid a curious, but concerned look back towards the Relic. It had stood safe all this time without them, and he wanted nothing more than to crush Alexander once and for all, but if they'd gone through all this just for his shadowy influence to slither back through that rift...

Steven hesitated, even as some of the others had already dashed into the portal.

The Cyclone glanced back at the relic, and there was the slightest moment of hesitation. The shadows had seemingly receded from the storm, but the dungeon could still be vulnerable, at least until fully recovered.

Zapdos stepped over to the relic, angling his beak toward it, pensive.

 

[Panoramic_Vacuum]

It didn't take a mindreader to know the Cyclone's thoughts. Not this time, anyway.

"You should go," Steven said to him, gesturing towards the rift where Leaf and the others eagerly waited. "Alexander needs to know that all of Forlas wants him gone, not just our group of offworlders."

He glanced at the gleaming crown, then back at Zapdos with conviction.

"I'll watch over the Stormbringer's Relic for now, if you'll place your trust in us once more."

 

[Chibi Pika]

"You should go," Steven said to him, gesturing towards the rift where Leaf and the others eagerly waited. "Alexander needs to know that all of Forlas wants him gone, not just our group of offworlders."

Zapdos's eyes sharpened, and the edge of his beak curled up. "Ha! Indeed. I haven't had my fill of striking him down yet. And we'll all have much cause for celebration once that hydra is banished."

He turned back toward the rift and drew himself back, ready to jump through. Still facing away, he said, "He'll be safe under your guard, I know."

Then the Roaming Cyclone leapt through the rift and vanished into the Void along with the others.

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